Edenspring
by Fade to Osaka
Summary: Tomo dreams of death at old age. Determined to stay young and live forever, she and her fellow Bonkuras go on a search for a fountain which is only known in legend...  In progress!
1. Tomo's Premonition

Edenspring

By Fade To Osaka

A/N: This is the first Azu fic I've written since May 17th, 2009. Wish me luck.

Chapter One: Tomo's Premonition

Despite the advancements of mankind over thousands of years, one thing has remained: dreams. How could such arbitrary, nonsensical thoughts have such an impact on those who have them? We will never know, yet we accept this as a fact.

Like all good adventures, this one started with a dream.

The dreamer's name was Tomo Takino.

An old Tomo Takino sat in her rocker, going back and forth. Sighing to herself, she reminisced about high school.

"Such lovely times." She said to herself.

And then she died.

Remember the part where I mentioned dreams being nonsensical?

Tomo awoke with a yelp, sweat drenching her face. Throughout the rest of the night, she was plagues with similar nightmares. At school the next day, she looked to be on the brink of insanity. Her hair was a mess, her eyes was twitching, and she was growing 5'o clock shadow.

Kagura approached Tomo, concerned, "Tomo, what happened? You look like you've been to hell and back."

"I was up all night studying." Tomo replies, in a deadpan.

After a few moments of silence, the two of them burst out laughing. "No, but really, I was having nightmares last night." Tomo stated.

"Nightmares?" Kagura asked, "About what?"

It was at this time the third member of their posse, Osaka, showed up. "Hey!" She smiled, "What are ya'll talking about?" She seemed to not be phased by Tomo's drastically different appearance.

"I'm trying to find out why Tomo looks so stressed today." Kagura explained. Osaka looked confused. She stared at Tomo for a rather long time. Concentrating hard, she finally noticed that Tomo looked different. "Ah! Tomo! You're a mess."

Tomo sighed, "I had a dream that I got old and died."

"Tomo, that happens to everyone..." Kagura said, puzzled. Osaka nodded. Tomo grabbed Kagura by the shoulders, "Damn it woman, I don't want to die! I'm Tomo Takino! I must spread my wisdom to the future generations!"

"Tomo..."

"No!" Tomo jumped up and slapped Kagura across the face. Not a word was said. After awkward, tense silence, Tomo sank back into her chair. "It's hopeless." Suddenly, Osaka was overcome with emotion.

"Hopeless? Wha'dya mean hopeless? You call yourself a dreamer? Tomo, what's happened to you? The Tomo I know is determined, strong, and never gives up! I won't let ya give up! Your hope of immortality may be ridiculous, but you will achieve it! You are Tomo Takino, wildcat! And ya know what? I'm gonna help ya achieve this dream! Kagura will too! Bonkuras unite!"

"What?" Kagura asked. Tomo and Kagura stared at Osaka, who stared off into space with her hands still raised in triumph. "Ah..." She sighed, "Let's find the fountain of youth!"

The other two bonkuras stared at the Osakan girl. Kagura shrugged, "I'm in." Tomo pounded the desk and cheered, "Yes! Osaka, you have given me hope! The Bonkuras... Forever young! I don't have to worry about dying anymore!"

"Calm down," Kagura sighed, "We still have to find it... How do we even know that it exists?"

"I have a map!" Osaka said, matter-of-factly. Kagura, naturally skeptical of such a claim, was tempted to speak up, but decided against it. She'd just go with the flow.

Tomo jumped up, "Yukari! Can me and my comrades be excused? Destiny is calling us!"

Yukari stared over her magazine at Tomo and shook her head, "Whatever. It's the last day before summer break anyway, you won't miss much."

Tomo grabbed her two friends and fled from the room. Chiyo, Yomi, and Sakaki were all very puzzled and curious, but they each decided to stay out of the antics.

The three Bonkuras headed towards the Kasuga household. "So Osaka..." Kagura began, "Where did you get this map of your's?"

"A treasure chest beneath my house."

"... What?" Kagura asked, in utter disbelief.

"No, really!" Osaka pulled a pendant from her pocket. It was made of pure gold, and had an inscription on the back.

"Fountain of Dreams. Immortality."

Tomo and Kagura were shocked. "Is... this real?"

Osaka nodded. Though they had their suspicions, they figured they had to take her word for it.

...

The three sat around a table in Osaka's room. "So Osaka," Tomo said, unable to contain her excitement, "Where's this map? Where's my ticket to life?"

Osaka spread a tattered looking map on the table. A rather standard view of the globe. To Tomo's surprise, there was no "X" which marked the spot. Instead, there were merely words at the bottom.

"To find the waters of life, sail to the island closest to hell."

"... I don't get it." Tomo said. Kagura continued to stare at the map.

"Difficult, huh? I have a theory. I think it's gonna be an island somewhere in the southeast part of the globe. Probably uncharted." It seemed that she had already put a lot of thought into this.

"So how do we find it?" Tomo asked. Kagura interjected, "More importantly, HOW do we get there?"

"Trial and error. Stowaway."

Both of these answers sent shivers up the spines of Tomo and Kagura.

"There's a harbor near here, isn't there?" Kagura asked. Osaka nodded, nibbling on a sweet roll.

"So what are we waiting for?" Tomo asked, "We need to find the next ship going South and find us a fountain of youth! To the harbor!" Tomo pumped her first in the air. Osaka raised her arms and gave an airy cheer. Kagura felt a sense of terror.

The Bonkuras left the Kasuga household and headed towards the harbor. This was going to be a summer vacation to remember.

...

A/N: My first Azu writing in a while. I need to watch the series again to get a better grip on the characters. Anyhow, comment, subscribe to the story, and keep reading! Chapter 2 should be up very soon.


	2. SS Bonkura

Chapter 2: S.S. Bonkura

"Ah, the sweet smell of the harbor!" Tomo said, gleefully sticking her nose in the air.

"Ya mean the smell of fish and sailors?" Osaka asked with a smile.

"No!" Tomo retorted, quickly turning to Osaka, "I mean the smell of adventure! This is where it all begins., our journey into the unknown!" Tomo let out a squeal of joy and ran towards one of the boats.

Kagura sighed, "Don't get your hopes up... Whenever we start these kinds of adventures, you usually get bored halfway through and go back home."

Tomo's mood changed in a way that would make a schizophrenic proud. Her head seemed to rotate 180 degrees, and she shot a look of pure contempt and hatred. "Kagura! My hopes and dreams! MY HOPES AND DREAMS!"

Kagura soon stood down. "Alright, sorry. Jeez." Despite the fear, she gave a small smile, "I guess this will be a fun time."

Tomo, polarizing herself once again, grinned, "That's the spirit! Now, which vessel shall we make into our own?" The three girls surveyed all the ships. Most of them were beat up fishing boats that looked close to falling apart.

Osaka pointed at a particularly wretched boat, "How 'bout that one?" Tomo and Kagura recoiled in disgust upon laying eyes on it. "Osaka, I think we future immortals deserve something more stylish. Why'd you pick that one?" Tomo asked.

Osaka approached it and observed the side of the boat. After a moment, it appeared that a lightbulb went on in her head, and she peeled something off the side of the boat. She walked back to her comrades and held her hand out, "Sea slug!"

Kagura turned green and put a hand over her mouth, while Tomo just shook her head, "No, no, we need something more like... That!"

Tomo pointed toward a large, luxurious yacht. Kagura opened her mouth to object, but was snatched up by Tomo, as was Osaka. The wildcat pulled her friends towards the yacht and looked up to it with anticipation. "Our vessel!" She noticed the boat's name on the side of it, "'Jenny?' That's a dumb name!"

Tomo, always prepared for this occasion, pulled a permanent marker from her pocket. She crossed the name out and wrote "Tomo" on the boat. "Perfect!" It was then a voice cried out to them. The three girls jerked their heads around to see an American man getting off the boat. "You ruined my new boat!"

Naturally, the girls ran away.

Once they felt they were safe, they sat down to rest. "Tomo, you really need to get it together..." Osaka said.

They decided to go back to the original plan of stowing away quietly on a ship.

The three attempted to stow away on a small fishing boat, in the storage compartment. However, the ship crashed about 20 feet off the shore and they had to rethink their plan.

"We could swim." Kagura suggested. Osaka and Tomo responded in unison with a blunt "No." Osaka suggested walking along the sea bottom, but she was met with a similar response. Tomo stood up and looked to the sky.

"Since this is my journey, I guess I've got to make it work."

"Destiny is calling you, Tomo!" Osaka proclaimed.

"So what do you plan to do?" Kagura asked.

Before Tomo could give a vocal response, Kagura's question was answered. The hyperactive girl was gathering thick sticks that were scattered throughout the area surrounding the harbor. She quickly returned to the group with a large gathering of sticks and wood.

"Someone get me some string and a piece of paper!" Tomo said, dropping the supplies.

Once her demands were met, Tomo tightly tied the lumber together into a surprisingly well made makeshift raft. Following this, she pulled her marker out once again and wrote on the paper. She tied it to an extra stick and attached it to the raft.

The paper had "S.S. Bonkura" written across it, as well as chibi drawings of the three girls.

"Girls, we set sail at this moment!" With that, Tomo pushed the raft into the water and hopped on. It floated, much to her pleasure. The other two cautiously boarded and distributed weight accordingly.

"Wait, Tomo, what are we going to do for food? A bathroom? Water? Basic hygiene?" Kagura worried. Tomo laughed, "Matey, we will live off the ocean! We shall eat the fish! The world is our bathroom! We're surrounded by water! And hygiene is for the weak! Haven't you ever watched a pirate movie?"

Kagura was suddenly horrified, but she had no idea what would be in store for them.

**A/N: Shorter chapter this time. These first few are just to get the basic story worked out, so it will get better/lengthier later on. Drop me a review!**


	3. That's When Everything Became Ridiculous

**A/N: Having a lot of fun writing. So R&R, dear readers! Enjoy. By the way, when you leave me a review, could you answer a question for me? Would you be interested in seeing a continuation of Misadventures At Work 2? I have a few ideas for it.**

Chapter 3: ... And That's When Everything Became Ridiculous

An hour of drifting, and the Bonkuras could see nothing but ocean. Kagura was still very worried, "Tomo, I'm starting to think that this wasn't a very good idea." Tomo was not phased, "Of course it's a good idea! We're gonna live forever!" Osaka nodded in agreement.

Kagura's pessimism was persistent, "But how do we know that it even exists? No one has ever found the fountain of youth!" "What about Osaka's map?" Tomo responded.

Kagura sighed, "Just because a map says we can find the fountain of youth doesn't mean that we can..."

Tomo angrily stood up, shaking the raft, "Why do you want to kill my dreams? If you aren't going to be true to the Bonkura faith, then you should just leave now!" Kagura stood up as well, "Because I need to keep you two alive!"

Tomo frowned, "How are you going to do that? You're just a big dummy!"

Kagura had enough. She grabbed Tomo by the shirt collar and threw her overboard. Tomo quickly resurfaced with a scowl. The two stared each other down for a moment. As the tension began to seem unbearable, the two Bonkuras... burst out laughing. Osaka was confused, but soon joined in.

Kagura extended a hand out to Tomo and helped her back on to the raft. Still laughing, Kagura spoke up, "Hey, I'm sorry. This trip is going to be a tough one, but you're right, Bonkuras have to stick together."

Tomo smiled and Osaka cheered. Peace remained for the next two hours.

However, while the sailing continued, the three girls felt a very pronounced ripple underneath their raft.

"Did you two feel that? Or am I jus' going crazy?" Osaka asked her comrades. The other two looked at each other, then back at Osaka. They nodded. Tomo carefully approached the edge of the raft and looked into the water.

"I see a shadow... Hey, it's getting bigger!" Tomo said. The raft started shaking, and an audible rumbling began. She looked back at her friends with a worried look, "Hey guys, remember how we read Moby Dick in Classic Lit?" The other two nodded. "How did that guy kill the White Whale?"

Kagura and Osaka looked confused. As the shaking got more violent, their eyes widened. Before they could fully process the situation, their raft was destroyed and the three of them were sent flying through the air. Kagura and Tomo let out shrill screams while Osaka smiled with content, "I finally know what it's like to have pigtails..."

The three thought they would meet certain death, until they landed on a rather soft surface. This comfort was soon revoked when they began rolling down the surface and landed hard on wooden ground. Soon, many swashbuckling men would make their way into the vision of the Bonkuras.

"Angels?" Osaka asked as she sat up.

"Not quite." Kagura responded as she regained her composure.

Tomo jumped up, "Avast, ye maties! I am Captain Tomo of the S.S. Bonkura, and these are my two companions, First Mate Brownskin and Scurvy Dog Melonbread! We are the savviest pirates of the seven seas!"

Later, in the ship's jail cell...

"Things could be worse." Osaka said as she rattled a cup against the cell bars.

"Osaka, they said they were going to make us walk the plank in the morning." Kagura said.

"... Oh yeah." Osaka said. With a sigh, she went back to rattling the cup.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of this!" Tomo said.

The next morning, on the ship's plank...

"God dammit, Tomo."

The pirates cheered as the three girls, who were tied together, were put onto a sturdy piece of wood extending off the ship.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Tomo said, "Besides, I can still get us out of this."

"Fat chance!" Kagura yelled.

"Hey! Never doubt Tomo Takino! My destiny is to find the fountain of youth, so we will find it!"

"I'm so sick of hearing about that stupid fountain!"

"You're stupid!"

"I'm not the one who's lead us to death!"

"Hey, wait, guys-" Osaka attempted to interject.

"Kagura, don't make me come over there!"

"How are you going to do that? We're tied up you idiot!"

The pirates watched this exchange with curiosity. "Yaargh, jump already!" One of them said. The rest cheered at this statement.

"Hey, guys, my arm's not tied." Osaka said, but her words were drowned out by the arguing and cheering.

"You're going to pay for doubting your captain!" Tomo yelled. She shifted her weight towards Kagura, which caused the three girls to fall from the plank. The confused pirates watched the scene in stunned silence, and then went back to cheering.

"KICK! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KICK!" Kagura screamed to her comrades.

"You can't make me, I'm the captain!" Tomo objected.

"TOMO , I'M GOING TO BEAT THE- Wait... Osaka, did you say your arm's free?"

"Yep." Osaka responded.

"Why haven't you untied us?" Kagura asked.

"Oh... Right." Osaka quickly undid the rope, and the Bonkuras were free to tread water.

Besides the Pirate Ship that was sailing off, the only thing the girls could see was ocean.

"So what now, Captain?" Kagura asked.

"Umm..."

**A/N: OH NO CLIFFHANGAR. I'm on a roll, so this will be resolved soon. Remember, leave me reviews, they sustain me!**


	4. No Solace In The Maelstrom

**Alright, this is where the story becomes more of an adventure. Also, I'm really enjoying writing these "OHSHI-" moments (you'll see what I mean.) R&R, my friends.**

Chapter 4: No Solace In The Maelstrom

"How long have we been swimming?" Tomo asked, sounding like she was about to hack up a lung.

"About 6 minutes." Kagura responded.

"This is the worst day ever..." Tomo whined.

"But Tomo! Think about the immortality!" Osaka encouraged, "Think of all the bread we can consume in our endless lives... Heaven." Osaka smiled, and began to sink. However, she snapped out of her trances once her lungs began to fill with water.

"Kagura, carry me!" Tomo said, latching on to the swimmer's back.

"Gah, Tomo!" Kagura struggled. She knocked Tomo off her back. "You know, you're the reason we're stranded in the middle of the ocean!"

"I am not!" Tomo objected, "It's the white whale's fault! The pirate's too!"

"Tomo, I've had it with you! You're the captain, find away to get us out of this mess!" Kagura yelled, splashing water at Tomo.

"Hey! I will! Just give me time!"

"We don't have time! We can't swim forever!"

"Would you stop being such a pessimist? I'm Tomo Takino, I will think of something!"

"Is that supposed to give me hope?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

So much stupidity. Kagura had it. Sure, she wasn't the pinnacle of intelligence, but Tomo's consistent stupidity and lack of common sense had driven her to her boiling point, "I'm going to kill you!" Kagura launched herself towards Tomo and held her head underwater. "I'm not letting go until the bubbles stop!" Kagura yelled, struggling to avoid Tomo's flailing limbs.

Osaka looked to the horizon, "Hey guys..."

Tomo freed herself and pushed Kagura underwater, "Damn it, Kagura! Fountain - Of - Youth!"

"Guys..."

"This is mutiny! What happened to Bonkuras unite?"

"Guys!"

Tomo stopped yelling and looked towards Osaka, "Yeah?" She asked, still drowning Kagura.

"Shore!"

Tomo let go of Kagura, who came up and gasped for air. "You're gonna pay for-!" Kagura cut herself off when she noticed the other two staring in the opposite direction. She turned to look, "Shore?" Tomo laughed, "I told you I'd save us!" Kagura laughed, "Saved us? Like hell!"

And like that, the Bonkuras were friends once more.

"Say..." Osaka began, "What does it mean when the ocean recedes from the shore?" Osaka was right. The shore was a few miles away, and the water had receded about a mile. Unfortunately, none of the three girls had the science knoweledge to know what this was foreshadowing.

The sky began to darken rapidly. "It looks like night's coming. We should get to shore." Kagura said. The other two agreed, and they all began to swim. The air was heavy, and the ocean became calm. All was silent...

Until the thunder cracked.

Rain poured from the firmament. The sky torn asunder. The wind picked up as the storm progressed. The calm water was soon thrashing more violently than ever. Osaka was knocked underwater by a large wave. Kagura and Tomo quickly pulled her back to the surface.

"Damn it, we have to hurry!" Tomo yelled. The waves crashed down onto the three girls and knocked them under. As the three resurfaced, they made sure to stick together and keep their fellow comrades afloat.

The three looked away from the shore and saw a monster of a wave approaching them.

Tomo trembled, "I'm really sorry you two... This is my fault... This was just a stupid idea... I swear to you, we'll get through this together! Bonkuras forever!"

Kagura, though slightly softened by Tomo encouraging words, felt hopeless, "Tomo, if you survive this, and I don't I swear that I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life - immortal or not."

Osaka's eyes grew wide as the wave came crashing down, "AHMAHGAWD!"

Darkness.

_Osaka was in a warm room. She instantly knew that it was a dream, so she summoned a being who only existed in her dreams._

_Chiyo Chichi, Osaka's image of Chiyo's father, entered the room. "Hello, everyone!"_

_"Mr. Kitty, I have a question... Does the fountain of youth really exist?"_

_"I cannot answer that."_

_"Why not?"_

_"In every adventure, it's the journey that matters. Not how it ends."_

_The cat-like creature left the room..._

_... Tomo found herself wandering Oblivion._

_"Fountain... Immortallity... Damn..."_

_She fell to the ground, hopeless. She'd driven herself and her friends to the brink of death in search of a fairy tale..._

_... Kagura, in her own personal heaven, beat a Tomo doll._

_"Time to wake up."_

"Huh?"

Kagura looked around. Hot sand, palm trees, large rocks.

"An island!" She ran her hands through the sand. "It's real! Oh thank God!" She realized she was on a lumpy mount of sand, "What the...?" She stood up and observed the sand pile. Before she could process what it was, it began to move. As the sand shifted, she noticed it was Osaka.

"Gah! What in the heck?" Osaka yelled, coughing up sand. She wiped sand out of her eyes and made her way to her feet. "Kagura? We're alive?"

"I'm as surprised as you are..."

"Where's Tomo?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. She's just going to get us killed."

"Kagura..."

"Come on, Osaka. We're going to go find food." She turned towards the shrouded, jungle-esque area and started walking away from the beach. Osaka followed, but tripped after a few steps. "Huh?" She looked back and saw Tomo. Tears soon flooded her eyes.

"No! Tomo! How did you get to be so dead?" She collapsed over the body and let out loud sobs. Kagura approached the lamenting girl and observed Tomo, "She's still breathing. Leave her. We have to find food, and I promise that I won't get you killed."

Kagura began walking again, and Osaka had no choice but to follow.

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo...

Chiyo, Yomi, and Sakaki were gathered around Chiyo's table, working on summer homework.

"This year's work is a lot tougher..." Chiyo said, "Hmm... Hey, wait, where are Tomo, Osaka-san, and Kagura-san?" The other two shrugged.

"Probably on another one of Tomo's adventures. I wouldn't worry." Yomi said.

**A/N: Longest chapter yet! Poor Bonkuras! It'd be cool if you dropped me a review.**


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